As the building block to Thunderbolt technology, Thunderbolt controllers contain a high performance cross bar Thunderbolt protocol switch, a PCI Express switch, and one or more Thunderbolt ports, DisplayPorts, and PCI Express protocol adapter ports. By integrating all the features necessary to implement Thunderbolt into a single chip, the host-side controller enables system vendors to easily incorporate Thunderbolt technology into their designs.

Changing the PC industry

Leveraging the I/O protocols on a single transport enables engineers to innovate new system design configurations, allowing for standalone performance expansion technologies that use existing native device drivers. Thunderbolt technology also enables the introduction of thinner and lighter laptops without sacrificing I/O performance, and extends to reach other I/O technologies by using PCIe-based adapters, making gigabit Ethernet, FireWire*, or eSATA easy to create.

Thunderbolt™ 2

The computing industry is on board with Intel’s Thunderbolt™ technology, and adoption of the technology in 2013 is growing, especially among video makers creating the richest content. Already a standard feature of Mac computers, it’s now included on PCs and motherboards, as well as many peripheral devices; in addition, hundreds companies—and growing—are developing Thunderbolt technology-enabled products.

In April 2013, Intel announced plans for the Thunderbolt™ controller, an important advancement in I/O technology. Doubling the bandwidth to run at 20 Gbs, Thunderbolt technology enables simultaneous 4K video file transfer and display for eye-popping video and data capability. The result is great news for an industry on the cusp of widespread adoption of 4K video technologies.